This invention relates to an ice storage detector for an auger type ice product making device. More particularly, it relates to an improvement whereby such detector can instantaneously and positively detect whether a reservoir is full of lightweight flake ice or if the ice is being used even at low ambient temperatures.
Various ice storage detecting devices are known in the art for use with the auger type ice making devices mounted on the ice reservoir. Typical of these are a thermostatic storage detecting system adapted to detect the ice temperature and a mechanical storage detecting system adapted to detect the movement of the ice products such as that shown in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 57-184486 and shown herein in FIG. 1 and that shown herein in FIG. 2.
In the system shown in FIG. 1, an ice product storage switch 2 is enclosed in a base plate 1a of the ice storage detector 1, said base plate 1a being secured to a top cover 4 of an ice reservoir 3. An ice storage detector plate 5 mounted to a shank 1b for rotation in the direction of the arrow is held at the lower extremity of the base plate 1a and is made up of a connecting lever 5a and an ice detecting portion 5b.
The above system has been developed for use with batch type automatic ice cube makers where the cube ice has a larger unit weight, slides easily and where a large amount of ice can be stored in the ice reservoir at one time. Since considerable force is applied to an ice receiving portion 5c in the ice detector 5b of the ice storage detector 1, the ice detector plate 5 is positively turned to cause actuation of the lever 2a associated with an ice storage switch 2 thereby controlling the switch 2.
In the ice storage detector 1 shown in FIG. 2, a barrier plate 4a formed of a nonmagnetic material is provided at the top cover 4 of the ice reservoir 3, and a proximity switch 2 acting as an ice storage switch, is provided on the upper surface of the barrier plate 4a. A base plate 1a adapted to support the ice storage detector plate 5 for rotation in the direction of the arrow about a shaft 1b is removably attached to the lower surface of the plate 4a. To the upper end of the ice storage detector plate 5 and in opposition to the switch 2 an auxiliary plate 6 formed of a magnetic material is mounted.
The above described ice detector 1 is used in conjunction with a specified type of auger ice product making device in which the ice storage detector 1 can be mounted in the proximity of an outlet duct 7, and mainly in conjunction with an auger ice making device having an attached ice product reservoir. When the ice products fill the reservoir 3 close to its full capacity, the ice products discharged out of the discharge port 7 act directly on the ice storage detector plate 5 so that a large force is applied to plate 5 and thereby the proximity switch 2 is positively actuated.
In a conventional auger type ice making device in which the main body of the device is mounted on the ice reservoir, when it is supposed that the small lightweight ice, such as a flake ice, products that are irregular in shape and are less likely to slip are dropped into the reservoir to be gradually heaped in a conical pattern, the ice products start to contact with the lower portion of the detector plate of, for example, the ice product storage detector unit shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. With a gradual increase in the contact surface between the ice and the detector plate, the ice flakes tend to be heaped along the contact surface of the ice product detector plate with the result that an ice load sufficient to actuate the ice product detector plate is not reached. The result is that the ice product storage detector is not actuated when the ice reservoir is filled to its full capacity so that the ice product making operation further continues to cause a serious accident or malfunction in the ice making section of the device.
Thus, conventional systems, especially the thermostatic ice storage detector above, are inhibited by low ambient temperatures so that positive ice storage detection can not be achieved when the ice is of such a nature that it is only stored gradually and its force for operating the ice product detector plate is small.